CARDIGAN High Street has been shortlisted in this year’s Great British High Street Awards 2018, sponsored by Visa, putting it in the running to win a £15,000 prize.

Cardigan High Street, including Pendre and Priory Street, has been shortlisted from more than 150 applications in the Rising Star category of the Awards, which aims to find the UK’s most ambitious high street.

And local councillor Clive Davies has been nominated in the High Street Hero category for his work in driving the town app, free Wi-Fi and street furniture projects.

After a rigorous selection process, Cardigan High Street was chosen by an independent judging panel as a one of 12 candidate streets to be shortlisted for the award.

The shortlisted 12 Rising Star high streets will now battle it out in a public vote, which accounts for 30 per cent of the final scoring, and will then have the chance to impress an expert judging panel as they seek to be crowned Britain’s best.

Those interested in participating in the public vote can visit www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk for more information. The winning entries for both the Champion and Rising Star categories will be announced on November 15 at an awards ceremony in London.

The bid by Cardigan Town Centre Partnership followed research commissioned by Visa, sponsor of the 2018 Great British High Street Awards, which revealed promising signs of renewed confidence in the country’s high streets despite a challenging retail environment.

The research from Visa found that more than half of the nation’s independent high street retailers interviewed are optimistic about the future of their local high street, while four out of five shoppers would miss their local high street if it was no longer there.

High streets minister Jake Berry MP said: “I’d like to extend my congratulations to Cardigan High Street for being shortlisted as one of the UK’s most ambitious high streets in this year’s Great British High Street Awards.

“The calibre of entries has been extraordinary, with each showing the passion, innovation and technological advancement needed to meet the challenges faced by independent high street retailers today.

“We’ll now embark on a six-week tour of the UK, visiting each of the shortlisted high streets before making our final decisions. This is a real opportunity for local shopkeepers and the public to show us how much they value their high streets – and importantly, the steps they have taken to drive footfall.”

Sundeep Kaur, head of UK and Ireland merchant services at Visa, added: “Cardigan High Street, along with Pendre and Priory Street are fantastic examples of an area that has made huge strides in transforming itself digitally.

“In particular, its entry highlighted that by using a new town app initiative which is being piloted this year, sites of significant interest will be highlighted to locals and visitors coming to the area, making it a more enjoyable experience for them and driving footfall to businesses in the process.

“Our research shows that consumers now demand a great deal from their high streets, so it is no surprise that Cardigan High Street has made the Rising Star category shortlist for its adaptability, resilience and creativity in meeting these demands.”

The Great British High Street Awards 2018, which are being run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.